Balogun Disputes World Cup Red Card, Set to Miss U.S. Round-of-16 Match After 3 Goals
Updated
Updated · WTOP · Jul 3
Balogun Disputes World Cup Red Card, Set to Miss U.S. Round-of-16 Match After 3 Goals
3 articles · Updated · WTOP · Jul 3
Summary
Folarin Balogun said a yellow card would have been fairer than the red he received for stepping on Tarik Muharemovic’s ankle in the U.S. 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina.
One-match suspension rules him out of Monday’s round-of-16 game against Belgium, and FIFA offers no appeal route unless a red card brings more than a one-game ban.
Three tournament goals have made Balogun a central U.S. attacker; he scored against Bosnia and matched Landon Donovan’s 2010 total for the second-most by an American at a World Cup.
Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are the leading options to replace him, while Tyler Adams said the team has shown flexibility despite losing a key starter.
A win over Belgium on home soil would send the United States to the World Cup quarterfinals for only the second time, after 2002.